Motivation through reinforcement
Students need to be motivated in order for that to happen the need to know when there doing somthing correctly
This is true. As instructors, we have the tendency to approach our subject matter with an "if I know it, they should to". And, even though constant reinforcement can or may be exhausting, it is important to meet each student at their level even though we know they may not be as successful as someone else in the class. This is an element of dedication in the profession of teaching.
Richard-
There are many reasons why students lag behind the pace of the rest of the class. It is tough to meet the needs of all students because an instructor who is constantly going back over material that has just been covered loses the attention of the students who are ready to move on. Sometimes students have personal issues that prevent them from being fully engaged in the class or maybe there processing speed is just not up to the rest of the group. If it is just one student, that student's needs might be better served through a tutoring session. The fact that things that are self-paced indicate learning at a high level indicates that he is learning the material. Some students also need the personal attention or acknowledgement that asking a question brings.
Joan
It's hard to fully know the students. I had one student that was always one step behind...I did find that I might have been going to fast, but I found that I was repeating myself - just to him because I knew as soon as I got to step 5 he'd be asking..."what is Step 2 again?".
That was in class, his participation was slower than rest...but, his writing and his papers (things he did at his own pace - he was top notch.
So I gained more respect for him...and learned his strengths and weaknesses.
So agree! Too often our feedback focuses on opportunities for development and not enough on what they are doing right. This can lead to students not knowing what they are doing right and therefore changing their behavior to doing something wrong that they were intially doing right. My point is we shouldn't take it for granted that students know their strengths. Reinforcing their strengths is a much bigger motivator than feedback on their weaknesses.
